The class takes place Saturday, March 22 at noon. To register, contact Phil at 510.393.6096 or through his MySpace page.

And stay turned to that page for info on more classes and details on dining at his underground restaurant.

image from enbphotos.com

What kind of donut costs $1.75? A vegan one.

Why? Because it’s made with natural organic grains and sugar, organic sprinkles, vegetable coloring, and no animal products.

Why would I want to pay for such a thing if I’m not vegan? Because it is delicious.

I’m not usually one to evangelize — I write stuff up and I let you make your choices. But I really think you should go search out Peoples Donuts and eat one. The moist cake donuts are hearty and wholesome (as wholesome as anything fried in oil can be, anyway). They’re glazed in flavors like vanilla, maple, lemon poppyseed, and blueberry. I liked the sugared variety and the lemon poppyseed, with its delicious citrus bite, the best.

And I like the story even better. They’re made out of a former Chinese dive in West Oakland (yes, it has been scoured) by a real estate agent turned donutpreneur named Josh, who was inspired by the vegan donuts he found in other cities. He launched a search to find a granary that would make him a flour mix without whey, and went full-steam into donut-making. Finding a place to make donuts is a big task — it requires a big kitchen hood that some facilities don’t have. But Josh found one, and he’s popping out the tasty pastries with his team of dedicated donut makers. The goods are as environmentally friendly as possible, and Josh hopes one day to deliver them by bike.

Until then, you can get Peoples Donuts at Mama Buzz, Peaberry’s, and a variety of other cafes and restaurants around town. Check the Web site for current locations and flavors.

Rumor has it that the Oakland Museum of California’s White Elephant Sale is the largest in Northern California. They collect donations all year to fill a 96,000 square-foot warehouse, and then throw it open for two days as the public packs in to buy buy buy. Well known for their stash of Hawaiian shirts and other collectibles, this is way better than the average flea market — it’s thrice as classy, and the proceeds benefit museum programs.

Be forewarned: the sale is NOT at the museum. You think they have 96,000 spare square feet?

white elephant sale 

white elephant sale warehouse

march 1 and 2, 2008

333 lancaster st.

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

*To donate for next year’s sale, call 510.536.6800.*

image from www.ibabuzz.com

Friday night, Old Oakland’s Trappist Cafe threw open their doors to an eager crowd of brew enthusiasts. On tap are a wide selection of Belgian ales and some local goodies including beer by Linden Street Brewing. The cafe features more than 120 bottled choices and 15 rotating taps. A complete list of current beer offerings is on the Web site at thetrappist.com.

the trappist cafe & specialty beer bar

510.238.8900

460 8th st.

*

As for the aforementioned Linden Street Brewing, they’re making a beer called Urban People’s Common Lager out of an 1890’s warehouse west of Jack London Square at 95 Linden St. Anybody tried it? (I sampled some this weekend, but I don’t like beer, so my assessment is pretty useless…)